Eating More Than Usual? THIS May Be Why

Read this before you have a second breakfast

You've heard before that skimping on sleep can make you gain weight. But a new study released today from Wagner University in Staten Island, New York, found that it's not just the amount of time you spend in bed that could turn the number on the scale—it's the quality of the sleep you get, too.

Researchers conducted two separate experiments for this study. First, they tracked and then analyzed the sleeping and eating habits of 184 college women. Turns out, there was a very strong correlation between poor sleep quality and emotional eating—i.e., women who tossed and turned through the night also tended to take in more calories due to emotional eating.

In the next experiment, researchers tracked the sleeping habits of 66 different college women and then had them eat snacks (cookies, cheese, chocolate, jelly beans, crackers, and celery sticks). Those who slept fewer than seven hours the night before AND were self-reported emotional eaters ate the most.

So what's the message here? It all comes down to stress. Both poor-quality sleep and a lack of sleep can stress you out—and if you're an emotional eater, that's bad news. "Sleep-related stress is a real thing," says lead study author Laurence Nolan, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Wagner. "People need to keep in mind how important sleep is to their overall physiological and physical health."

Previous research shows that skimping on sleep can also affect your waistline even if you're not an emotional eater: Check out these five other ways lack of sleep can lead to weight gain. To stay well rested—and maintain a healthy weight—aim for seven to eight hours of sleep a night.